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MLB News & Moments: Brewers Break Cubs Hearts… Again

Death, taxes, the Yankees win at least 82...

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News 5 Hours Ago

Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.

 

Today’s Headlines

 

Somethin’ Brewin’ 

Having already clinched the season series and with a massive lead in the division, it seems that the Brewers have decided to push a final gear in their rivalry with the Cubs. For a second straight game, Milwaukee found a way to mount a late comeback, taking advantage of Chicago’s frail bullpen. The Cubs had presented a good challenge despite facing Jacob Misiorowski, scoring the first run of the game and then nailing a potential run at home plate to keep the score tied at one through eight. Moreover, Chicago scored twice in the ninth, as Carson Kelly came in as a pinch hitter to drive in two with a double. Alas, closer Jacob Webb could not hold the lead in the bottom half. Despite getting two outs, Webb could not retire Jackson Chourio, who became the hero with a two-run homer that sent the game to extras. Once there, Chicago had terrible baserunning and lost its ghost runner at third, setting up the stage for a Milwaukee walk-off. This came courtesy of usual defensive wiz Luis Lara, who delivered the winning single with the bases loaded. The Brewers remain on a mission, and for now it looks like toying with their biggest rivals is part of it.

Beast of the East

In a matchup of division leaders from the East Coast, the Rays delivered a statement win in Atlanta, with a 7-1 dominant victory. Freddy Peralta was quite effective pitching to contact, limiting Atlanta to one run over six innings despite collecting only two strikeouts. On the other hand, Tampa Bay had a massive show of power, with Junior Caminero hitting his AL-leading 39th long ball and Liam Hicks, Yandy Díaz, and Richie Palacios adding homers of their own. In other good news for the Rays, closer Bryan Baker pitched a perfect ninth during a non-save situation, marking his return after an illness had sidelined him for a few contests. Tampa Bay remains the best team in the AL, while Atlanta did not lose ground in the NL East, as the Phillies could not take advantage of this loss.

82+, The Usual

Despite their uncharacteristic World Series drought, the Bronx Bombers have continued their quest of always providing a good product for their fans, and they yet again clinched a winning season by taking the 82nd W of 2026. With Cam Schlittler facing the lowly Rockies, this seemed preordained, and the righty avoided any kind of letdown by dominating Colorado to the tune of 10 strikeouts over seven innings, with only one run allowed. With Dylan Cease’s clunker on Monday, this could have clinched the AL Cy Young for Schlittler. This game was also notable for the awaited return of Aaron Judge, who had been out since late May. The hulking outfielder went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, and he was pulled late in the game. However, his replacement, Heliot Ramos, hit a three-run homer immediately, giving the Yanks plenty of insurance in this 5-2 win. With an outside chance to fight for the division and the top wild card spot almost in the bag, New York can use their final 18 games to set up a deep playoff run.

Ready for October

Despite all the weirdness surrounding the Dodgers in recent days, nothing can take away from the fact that they remain the team to beat, as evidenced by their current six-game winning streak. The team’s massive resources and deep roster are again peaking at the right time, as LA earned another W with Tarik Skubal’s best outing since joining the Dodgers. The lefty went 7.1 innings allowing only two runs, with five strikeouts, as he limited the Reds to only a two-run homer from Elly de la Cruz. Nick Lodolo was solid but took the loss with three runs allowed over 5.1 frames, as LA scored all of their runs with two outs. With Atlanta having a tougher September, the Dodgers are in prime position to secure a first-round bye, while still having a good chance of catching Milwaukee for the best record in baseball.

Western Drama

While the AL playoff race gets plenty of attention for the sheer number of teams involved, the only spot left in the NL at least features good teams with positive run differentials. Last night, both of them had to dig deep to avoid losing ground. In the earlier slate, the Diamondbacks needed 11 innings to overcome the Royals, as the game was scoreless through seven and then needed extra frames. Corbin Burnes made his season debut and went three scoreless, while the bullpen survived a ninth-inning blown save with two outs. As the game was pushed to the 11th after matching ghost runners scoring in the 10th, a clutch Lourdes Gurriel Jr. triple (his first since 2025) became the key hit as Arizona prevailed 5-3.

Meanwhile, the Padres had plenty of trouble against a designed bullpen game by the Nationals. San Diego did not score until the seventh, and then entered the eighth with a 4-1 deficit. Instead of folding, they made the most of facing Washington’s terrible relief corps. The eighth opened with three straight walks, followed by a sac fly, a passed ball, and two singles that suddenly gave the Friars a 5-4 lead. Of course, their bullpen would not blow that chance, securing the win and keeping them only a half-game behind Arizona. If these teams continue their high-wire act, their meeting in the final weekend of the season has massive potential.

By The Numbers

 

+2/-2 Much like it has happened all of 2026, the AL has entered the stretch run with mediocrity. No AL team will start today’s action with a 3-game streak, winning or losing. Moreover, only the Rangers (W2) and the Royals (L2) have started this week with any kind of consistency.

40 Speed merchant Chandler Simpson of the Rays reached 40 stolen bases, giving him a second straight season with that number to start his career. He becomes only the fifth player in modern MLB history to reach this feat, joining the likes of Vince Coleman and Delino DeShields.

99 Jacob Misiorowski could not earn a win but added to his Cy Young résumé by striking out nine Cubs. In impressive fashion, all of his Ks were recorded with pitches going at least 99 miles per hour.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

The Great Kazu

Having taken a shocking loss on Monday against the A’s, the Blue Jays were quick to bounce back, getting back-to-back homers from Josh Smith and Kazuma Okamoto in the second. The early 2-0 lead would end up becoming a solid 4-2 win behind solid pitching from José Soriano, who tossed seven innings of two-run ball. Okamoto’s homer was notable for being his 30th of the season, joining an exclusive list of Japanese-born players who have reached this milestone, which includes luminaries like Shohei Ohtani, Hideki Matsui, and Seiya Suzuki. Of course, fellow rookie Munetaka Murakami is also part of this list in 2026, making it a banner year for NPB imports. With the victory, Toronto remains only one game out of the last wild card in the AL.

Seager to Please

Seattle’s final stretch of the season was supposed to be easy, featuring plenty of games against losing teams and giving the M’s a chance to make a miraculous return. Instead, the Mariners have been dreadful, losing seven of their past ten as their playoff hopes have all but evaporated. The latest came with a 10-5 drubbing by the Rangers, as Texas opened the game with a five-run fifth. In addition to all this offense, the Rangers also gave us a spectacular web gem by Corey Seager (who had also hit a homer). With the speedy Julio Rodríguez trying to start a rally in any way possible, Seager made a tremendous play from deep shortstop, getting Rodriguez by a full step. Texas remains within striking distance of the last wild card or the division, and a healthy, productive Seager could be the X factor if they make it.

The Dog Days

With the Tigers and Twins essentially playing for pride and third place in the AL Central, Minnesota evened the series with a 3-2 win thanks to a key Kody Clemens homer in the sixth. With not much to play for on the field, things in the stands became a bit more interesting thanks to a Bark at the Park night hosted by Detroit. As usual, several pups were highlighted, but no one could top this good boy begging for some nachos or at least a treat. Here’s hoping that he got his wish before the game was over.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ Shohei Ohtani was again out of the Dodgers lineup, a day after making his return. The Japanese star went 0-for-3 on Monday, but manager Dave Roberts reported that he felt fine and was available to start again. However, the team is opting to take it easy with Ohtani, especially as they are close to clinching their division. He should still be considered day-to-day.

⚾ Atlanta starting pitcher Bryce Elder underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his right knee, and he will now be out for the rest of the regular season. While is is still unclear if he will be able to return by the postseason, his role is likely to change anyway, as Atlanta could opt to use him as a long reliever. In the meantime, starter Reynaldo López was activated and should take Elder’s spot in the rotation. 

⚾ After getting the long-awaited return of Corbin Burnes, the Diamondbacks are set to activate two more veteran pitchers, as Michael Soroka and Zac Gallen should be available for today’s game versus the Royals. Both of them have had tough seasons, but they will get a chance to showcase their abilities in a playoff race before hitting free agency. In their return, the D-backs will likely use a piggyback strategy to ease them back into game form. 

 

Articles You Should Read

 

A Bummer Summer in Sacramento— Ben Clemens, Fangraphs

The Best Unheralded Offseason Addition — Brian Murphy, MLB.com

 

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Pablo Figueroa

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Pablo Figueroa is a Baseball Writer here at Pitcher List, with experience as a writer since 2013. He lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico - proud home of Los Rieleros. When he´s not thinking about baseball , he's a husband, owns two dogs, watches random episodes of The Sopranos , plays padel, and works on his day job to pay the bills.

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